heard her say that the more widely she yawned, the more she transformed back into a troll, and even as she spoke, she gave a huge yawn, and reverted into the form of a hideous troll-wife. And through the floor of her room appeared her brother, a three-headed giant (þríhöfðaður þussi), who brought her a trough full of meat, which she devoured. Meanwhile, the boy-prince's wet nurse was about to witness the supernatural appearance of the true queen. When the wet nurse turned the [candle-]light on, several planks from the floor rose up, and from underneath appeared an astonishingly beautiful white-clad woman, dressed in linen. Clasped around her waist was an iron belt, with a chain leading down into the ground below. The queen embraced the child for a moment, and returned under the floor again. Her appearance was repeated the second night, and the nurse heard the queen say lamentfully that "Two are gone, and one only is left," which the nurse guessed must mean that the third night would be her final appearance. The next night, King Sigurd was in the nurse's room with a drawn sword in hand, awaiting the woman, whom he instantly recognized as his own wife. He cut the chain in two and great noises came from beneath the earth. The true queen now told her story. The three-headed giant had tried to force her to marry him (actually, to sleep with him), and at last she consented provided she could visit her son for three consecutive days, hoping for an opportunity to be liberated. The giant must have plummeted to death, the crashing "caused by him in his death throes". The real queen was then restored to all her dignity, and the king had the false queen immediately captured and stoned to death, her body torn apart by horses. Retellings An embellished retelling was given by Mrs. Angus W. Hall, entitled "The Giantess and the Granite Boat" (1897). Here Sigurd's wife is given the name "Helga", his father-in-law "Hardrada", and the young son "Kurt". See also Brother and Sister The Three Little Men in the Wood The White Duck The Wonderful Birch Explanatory notes References Citations Bibliography Icelandic fairy tales Fictional witches Female literary villains Scandinavian folklore Trolls Witchcraft in fairy tales Fiction about shapeshifting ATU 460-499 Jón Árnason (author) Witches in folklore